The Day the Earth Stood Still
by Priestess of Groove
Summary: We've had sick!Mike and sick!Harvey, so it's high time for sick!Donna! Just a light and fluffy piece.
1. The Day the Earth Stands Still

**Author's Note: ** Suits has been a little depressing of late. The tension is great and all, but I've really needed some light banter and with Donna out of the picture, that's a little far between. Hopefully this will do! Rated for mild language.

**I do not own Suits.**

**The Day the Earth Stands Still**

It was like any normal day in Pearson Hardman. Associates were running all over the place like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to keep up with the work Louis piled on them. Donna was typing up paper work and filing it, and the boys were off saving the day in court, which Donna could not be more thankful of. Her appearance was clean and kempt as always, but the most observant people would see that her skin was a shade paler than usual, her arms moved stiffly from the tension in her shoulders, and there was a barely noticeable sheen of sweat on her forehead.

For the first time in a long time, Donna Paulsen was sick.

This was a rarer event than a lunar eclipse. Donna was never sick. Yes, she got the sniffles every winter – who didn't? – but never had she felt so miserable since the last time she'd gotten plastered. Donna did not even so much as take a vacation unless Harvey Specter did. The Earth would stand still when that happened.

But this…she may have to take an exception to this. Her symptoms, however, she did not feel sick enough to call in. All she was feeling was nausea and vomiting. No stuffed nose, no headache, no migraine, no actual stomach problems or irritation, not even a hangnail, but merely nausea and vomiting and even the nausea was intermittent. She had been just as hungry at lunch as she always was, but after losing everything this morning, she settled for just a cup of soup. She even took her temperature before heading into work and everything was normal.

The answer seemed obvious: pregnancy. But even that didn't quite add up. She wasn't like Harvey who had a sex escapade every weekend. Her last fling had been so long ago, she though she would've felt symptoms before now. The combination of pills and condoms and the fact that she was approaching forty meant it would take nothing short of a miracle to get pregnant. Still, it wasn't impossible. She decided she'd give it a few days before she emptied the local pharmacy of their tests.

She better not be pregnant! Just thought of having a child related to Daniel Kliegman was enough to make her ill. Sleep with? Sure. Have a child with? Hell no!

Until then, though, she would have to keep herself from strangling the next person who came to her desk. If it was Harvey, she could console herself over his death that she could finally get her vacation out of the helpless and needy bastard.

The steady staccato of her fingers typing faltered as a sudden wave of nausea swept over her and she clenched her jaw shut. _You will _not_ throw up in the trash bin under your desk, _she commanded herself as she pushed away from her desk and purposefully strode to the bathroom with as much dignity as she could.

A woman came out just as she reached the door and she sent up a silent 'thank you' to any deity listening that there was no one else in the bathroom. She locked the door to ensure her privacy and then lunged for the first toilet and emptied her stomach for the second time that day.

When she finished, she went to the sinks and winced at her appearance. Her skin was ashen but worse, still, she wasn't certain her eye make-up could hide the dark circles that were starting to form. She gargled water to get the awful after taste out of her mouth and decided to at least attempt to touch her make-up before the boys got back. It was tough getting anything past Harvey, but Mike would be the worst, and he would be even more adamant about bothering her over it than Harvey would.

On her way back, she nearly halted in her tracks when she saw the boys were back. Harvey was already putting on his victory record and Mike was standing in front of his desk with his hands in his pocket, ever the loyal soldier.

Damn Harvey Specter for being such an efficient closer!

At least this bonus should earn her another pair of Prada shoes.

She was only just walking past her desk when Mike came out with a triumphant grin and folder in hand, no doubt with his marching orders.

"Was it a victory then?"

He grinned cheekily at her. "You _doubted_, Harvey?"

"Just wondering if I can go shoe shopping this weekend."

"I'm sure you'll end up with a whole new outfit after this win," Harvey said to her with a pleased smirk and a roll of his eyes.

"I have to be sure you don't skimp on the bonus. I don't want to have to drug your coffee or charge it all to your card," Donna replied with an all too innocent look.

"I think I know better than _most_ men about how to keep you happy," Harvey shot back with a taunting smile.

She noticed Mike's eyebrows almost disappear into his hair at the obvious sexual undertones of the response, but she eyed him coolly. "And yet, you still haven't claimed official sugar daddy position with me."

The pleased smirk dropped from Harvey's face and his eyes darkened.

"I'm going to leave. I'll be sure to have this all done by the end of the day," Mike said, scurrying off as Harvey approached to go toe to toe with Donna.

"You can drop the uncaring act. I know for a fact not a single one of those losers in your cadre of male…acquaintances," he said the word as though it left a sour taste his mouth, "could even come close to matching the walk-in closet of items you've charged me over the years."

"Calling yourself a loser, Harvey? I've never seen green look so ugly on you," Donna replied with a slight smirk and finally willed herself to walk away.

When she looked back from behind the safety of her cubicle, he had a self-satisfied smile on his face and she frowned at him. _What was he thinking?_ She didn't have much time to wonder, because as soon as she turned to her desk, she stared in surprise.

The first thing she noticed was the post-it note stuck to the computer monitor with 'GO HOME' written in giant letters. Then her eyes fell to the can of Ginger Ale and a tiny box of Saltine crackers perched conspicuously in front of her keyboard.

"You think I didn't notice the way you were clenching your jaw this morning? Any harder and you would have given yourself a tension headache. God forbid you call in for a sick day or two," Harvey replied, leaning over her cubicle wall to look at the items.

"Says the man who went to court with a stomach virus three years ago."

"I ate my Saltines before trial and I made it through."

"You threw up in Jessica's personal trash can when you gave your report."

"She forgave me."

Donna shook her head. "Most employees that did that would be out on their ass. You're one lucky bastard."

He snorted. "I would hardly call it luck. After nearly a decade of quality work and increased profit margins as a result of my success, I earned the ability to be forgiven for all my faults." He watched as Donna moved to the Saltines and opened them up to begin munching on them. "Now, take the rest of the week off. I can make Mike do everything."

"Please. The puppy will be so nervous about doing my job, he'll make a mess of everything. I'll be back tomorrow."

"Your presence here does not mean life or death, Donna."

"Is this the correct _firm_?"

"Take some days! Jessica will kill me if whatever you have turns out to be contagious. You wouldn't want my death on your conscious now, would you?"

"I would actually get vacation time."

"But then your supply of Prada shoes and Tiffany's jewelry would dry up. Not to mention those expensive manicures you charge me."

"Hmm…good point. And those are perfectly valid expenses."

"Then make them valid. Go home, sleep, watched HGTV to your heart's content, read that damn book you've been wanting to read, whatever you want to do! Don't come back here until you can look me in the eye without going green."

"I guess I'll never be back," Donna replied, gathering up her items, including the Ginger Ale and the saltines before walking off.

Harvey had started back into his office, but Donna could not resist one last parting shot before heading to the elevator: "This counts as caring."

"Not a word or your supply of Prada shoes and Tiffany's jewelry really will dry up!"

She just smirked. He would never have the balls to deny her anything and he knew it. Strange illness and all, having the afternoon off would be an improvement on the day.

* * *

**I hope everyone enjoyed this little piece! =)**


	2. Restroom Meeting

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the feedback! Some of you clever people noticed that I did not mark this story as 'complete.' Well, you were right, but I didn't want to say anything so that no one would be waiting pins and needles for the next chapter. I knew it was going to be a while, but now this story has taken a bat to 'All the Cards Fall' in its rush to be written and has demanded I write it instead. Enjoy!**

**On another note, I've decided this will take place after Hardman's left.**

**I do not own Suits.**

**Restroom Meetings**

As per her promise, Donna entered the office and was sitting behind her desk by the time Harvey arrived for the day. Upon catching sight of her, Harvey looked at her with an exasperated expression. He passed her, nodding in acknowledgment. She just barely flicked her eyes up at him and continued working on the spreadsheets. A minute later, a shadow fell over her.

When he did not speak right away, she continued to ignore him. After five minutes, she knew he would stand there all day if that's what it took until she addressed him. _That conniving bastard, _she thought. He knew she hated hovering.

"Did you need something, Harvey?" She asked in a clipped tone, even as she continued typing.

"How are you feeling?"

She finally turned to him and smiled brightly at him. "Better!"

"Really?" He replied with a small smile. She returned once more to typing, but he continued to stand and lean over her desk. "I thought we weren't going to lie to each other anymore?"

"I'm not lying," Donna replied.

"Oh really? So is there a reason why you're drinking tea instead of coffee? Or how about why you've tied your hair back on a beautiful, clear day? Or that cardigan –"

"All right, Harvey! No, I don't feel better," she said, desperately wishing not for the first time to punch that smug smirk off his face. The firm would throw her a party before taking disciplinary action, if they batted an eye at all. But mostly, he would never let her live it down.

"It's Friday! You could have taken a three day weekend. So why are you here?"

"Because I have a baby for a boss." He just huffed at that remark. "It's just a little bug."

"Persistent little bug," he muttered in such a low voice, she wasn't certain she was supposed to hear it. "Are you sure that's all it is?"

She narrowed her eyes dangerously at him. "Yes, I'm sure!" But all this conversation proved was that he was just as familiar with her as she was with him. She opened her mouth, about to tell him to mind his own damn business, when an inconvenient wave of nausea swept over and she clamped her jaw shut as her stomach lurched. She whirled out of her chair and quickly strode past him straight for the lady's room. Just as yesterday, she found herself kneeling once again before the porcelain throne and puking her guts out.

Donna started out of the stall and jumped when she saw Harvey leaned against the little wall next to the entrance. She scowled and, instead of addressing him, she head to the sinks to splash her face.

No man purposely strode into the bathroom and got away with it. Any man who accidentally did, left blushing furiously with a chorus of indignant shrieks following them and, in the case of this building, threats of a sexual harassment lawsuit. All but one man known as Harvey Specter. It helped his case that no one else was there.

"All I have to do is scream," she finally said, standing up stiffly from the sinks.

He raised an eyebrow at the movie reference. "Am I supposed to be squeezing your neck then?"

"Why'd you follow me in here? Now there's going to be gossip."

"There's always going to be gossip."

"You didn't have to throw fuel on the fire."

"There's going to be gossip anyway if you keep hurrying off to the bathrooms," Harvey replied with a nonchalant shrug.

She glared at him, but silently conceded he had a point. But he didn't need to know that. "Is this to get back at me for delivering that message to you while you were peeing?"

His lips twitched at the barest hints of a grin at the memory and she couldn't help mirror the expression. As small as it was, it would go down as one of her finest pranks.

"I have been dying to get back at you for that one. It's hard to find a legitimate reason to visit you in the bathrooms. Besides no one's here."

"Touche," she replied and then she walked around him and out the door. He naturally followed and every person in the area staring at them was met by the molten steel of Donna's glare. They glanced away but the damage was done and, in her frustration, she took it out on Harvey, "People are going to wonder why you're trailing me like an abandoned puppy. Someone might actually think you care."

In the populated hallways, he shook his head. "You're the most kickass secretary in the state. I've gotta protect my assets."

She shook her own head. Some things never changed.

Once again back at her desk, Harvey leaned over it again to speak to her. "Donna, if I can't convince you to go home now, will you do us a favor and leave at noon? You might consider stopping by a doctor's office."

"Don't patronize me," she snapped. He grimaced, realizing he'd pushed a button he hadn't intended to, but he did not budge from where he was standing. After a few minutes, he headed through the glass door to his office, taking her silence for acquiescence.

Fine. She would leave, but two days of nausea was hardly Earth shattering enough for a doctor's visit. When a wave of nausea swept through her again, she did decide, after prying her hands from clenching the desk, that a few pregnancy tests were not out of the question.

…

…

…

Donna bought eight. She busied herself while she waited for the results with a heart-lifting mini-marathon of Psyche. She was pretty well convinced that, in another universe, Mike would be Shawn Spencer and Harvey would be his partner-in-crime, Gus. Even if the closer was loathe to admit it, he had a goofy streak a mile wide.

After two episodes of ignoring the tests, she finally sighed in resignation and got up. She gritted her teeth at the way her stomach lurched and, when it finally settled, she went to the bathroom.

The tests were all lined up one right after the other and as she looked at each one, she tossed them in the trash. All of them were negative. She sighed in relief. Then it was as she thought: a bug. Give it the weekend and she'd be better by Monday.

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**Thank you, once again, for your feedback and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. **


	3. Moon Crazy Woman

**Author's Note: The next chapter! Thank you, Jodiesto, Guest, AthenianDream, and JFJD for your feedback. I always like to hear what people think. =)**

**The title of the chapter actually comes from the meaning of 'Menstruation.' The root word 'Menses' which referred to moons and the month. Greeks noticed women went into this phase every month just like a moon and they thought the moon was what was making them crazy.**

**I do not own Suits.**

**Moon Crazy Woman**

Donna was going to kill. It was Wednesday; it had been five days since all her pregnancy tests came back negative and she was still losing her stomach a few times a day and now she was enduring more than a few bouts of crippling nausea. Everyone passing her desk received death glares. The puppy now literally tip-toed around her. Harvey even suffered a staple in one of his silken ties for an ill-timed joke.

Why the hell was she not over this illness? Well, she had put it off long enough. It was time for a doctor's visit. Just as she was considering her options, Harvey's voice sounded over the intercom: "Donna, I need to see you."

Her face was a stony mask as she glanced over to the lawyer. He wasn't even pretending to be focused on working and, instead, stared directly back at her with a severe frown and an expression on his face that said, "Try me." She scowled at him. Apparently he was still pissed about the stapling. Well, he brought it on himself! She was exhausted and will and she was not about to put up with any crap from him, especially when he decided to play boss!

The speaker blared again. "Get in here _now_ or I will be forced to discuss your personal issues out there for everyone to hear."

"That's low, even for you," Donna hissed back.

"Then you better get in here."

Damn him. Damn him. Damn him!

So she stood up, smoothing out her skirt and her face, and then plastered the most obscenely robotic smile and walked in. "How may I serve your highness today?"

"Drop the attitude, Donna. I'm not your enemy and you know it." The smile fell like a stone from her face. "Now, what the hell is wrong with you?"

A muscle worked in her cheek as she clenched her jaw. "Nothing."

He glared right back at her. "Bullshit. That was an excuse last week, but not this week. Now why have you not gone to a doctor yet? Unless you _know_ why you are this – "

"No, it's not," Donna snapped and he shut his mouth.

He narrowed his eyes at her and seemed to be studying her reaction, weighing it all in before he said, "So then go figure out what the hell is wrong and get on some medication, because clearly whatever is wrong with you is not going away on its own."

Donna clenched her fists and was shaking from the rage that flowed through her. She was ready to erupt and then, in the next instant, the anger left just as quickly as it came and all she felt in its wake was ill and exhausted. Her shoulders slumped and her face fell. She shook her head, rubbed at her forehead and finally said, "I'm sorry, Harvey. I don't know what came over me. It's just – "

"I know." His expression softened as hers did and he nodded. "That's why you need to go home. Take it easy the rest of the week," Harvey said in a softer voice.

Donna stared at him blankly. "You didn't let me finish." He gave her a knowing look and waited for her to continue; she noticed he was hiding a smirk. "It's just that you're such a pain in the ass."

"Yes, that's exactly what you were going to say."

"You don't deny it."

"Get out of here. And don't come back until you're better."

"So, just before the apocalypse sets in. Will you really take five days to destroy the world? Maybe I'll come in on Friday."

"We'll manage, Donna. Now go to the damn doctor's office like you were planning."

She gave him a surprised look. He was starting to turn into her; this did not bode well…for the firm.

…

…

…

"Ms. Paulsen, the doctor will see you now."

Donna threw the magazine she wasn't even reading down and strode after the nurse. She kicked off her heels for the height measurement and then carried them around under her arm the rest of the initial examination.

After her bickering with Harvey, she had headed straight for the nearest walk-in clinic and promptly waited half an hour in a mostly empty waiting lounge. _I though there were five or six doctors at these places. Are they all busy? _As she was led around the building, she noticed that there were, in fact, a number of people waiting in other lines deep in the hallways. _I really hope I don't have to wait in another line_. She was pleasantly surprised when she was in fact led to an exam room and seated. It was yet another twenty minutes before the doctor finally entered. Oh, how she hated doctor's offices.

"Ms. Paulsen? Hi, I'm Dr. Carlyle," he said, offering a hand to shake. She took it, but was leery that he had even a passing resemblance to Daniel Hardman, but there was considerably more gray in his bear and he was completely bald. She made a mental note to never see this doctor again after this episode. "Would you please describe your symptoms for me?"

So she told her story yet again and waited for the inevitable.

"Well, it could be pregnancy."

"Yes, I thought about that and so I bought eight tests and they were all negative," Donna replied.

"You may have misread the tests. It's more common than you think."

_I am a college educated, legal secretary. I think I know how to read, _she desperately wished to snarl at him. Instead, she allowed her smile to grow cold and said, "They were negative."

"Ahem, sometimes pregnancies don't register early in development. They need to be at least a month along – "

"It's been six weeks."

"Yet the nurse wrote down here that your last menstrual cycle was two weeks ago."

"Yes, it was," Donna replied icily. _Yep, never coming back._

"Well, it's not uncommon for bleeding to continue to occur in the early months. I've read that you've taken the necessary steps to rule out pregnancy, but I think we should be 100% sure before we start to rule out anything else."

"And if it is isn't pregnancy, what could it be?" Donna asked, struggling to keep a civil tone.

"I – I'm not sure. Your symptoms are unusual to describe anything else. We'll know for sure when we test your urine and blood. Downstairs is where all of our samples are given. Now, if you'll go down there, we'll send it right it off to the labs and hopefully have results before the weekend."

_That was a waste of goddamned time, _Donna though to herself as she walked briskly out of the building and down the sidewalk. She had far too much energy to call for a cab at that moment. _It may be almost twenty years since college, but I still remember my reproductive health class. I know perfectly well what a woman can and cannot go through in the early stages of pregnancy, _she groused to herself.

Her phone suddenly beeped to indicate a received text message. She pulled it out and immediately grimaced. It was Daniel Kleinman, who may have knocked her up. _Unlikely. Extremely unlikely, _she told herself.

'Hey, sweet. Dinner tonite?'

The last thing she wanted was to see him, so she texted back: 'Not tonight. I'm not feeling well.'

'Need me to come over and cuddle?'

She stared at the message. _Does he really have to use a winking smiley? Note to self: to be dumped immediately._ 'No thanks. I would rather be alone and sleep. Don't want to make you sick.' She forgot to ask the doctor if whatever she had was contagious, but she figured it was a good enough excuse. After she hit 'send' on the message, she hailed a taxi.

* * *

**Ever had to deal with doctors that act like you're stupid? I have. It sucks!**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feedback is always appreciated! =)**


	4. Welcomed Intruder or Unwelcomed Friend?

**Author's Note: **Thank you, once more, for the feedback, everyone! =) I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the story. I can assure all will be explained by the end. Enjoy this latest installment!

I do not own anything.

**Welcomed Intruder or Unwelcomed Friend? You decide!**

Donna sighed heavily as she opened the door to her apartment. It was only early evening, but the wait at the office and all those raging emotions left her drained. All she wanted to do was throw herself onto her bed and take a nice, long –

"So how'd the appointment go?"

She jumped so badly that her keys went skittering across the floor. She instinctively grabbed the first weapon she found, which happened to be an umbrella and she held it up like a baseball bat. Her intruder had abruptly grabbed a pillow from her couch and held it up to deflect any wayward shots his way.

"God damn it, Harvey!" Donna said, finally back in control of her senses. "I was about ready to kill you! And, remember, no one would mourn your death!"

"Mike would, since I'm pretty integral to him keeping a job," Harvey replied, bringing the pillow down enough to peer over it at her. He only put it back when she set down her umbrella.

"One person. Maybe," Donna grumbled, heading into the kitchen to fix herself a glass of scotch. It was just the thing to calm her nerves. After a generous sip, she leaned over the counter and asked, "What are you doing here, Harvey?" She happened to notice that he had changed out of his suit and was in fact wearing a Harvard t-shirt and jeans.

He smirked over at her over the back of the couch. "I seem to recall that when I had the flu, you came over and fixed me soup. I'm returning the favor."

"So you thought it would be good for my health to break into my apartment and scare me half to death?"

"It's not breaking and entering when you have a key," Harvey replied, grinning at her cheekily.

"Well then, consider your key privileges revoked. I'm not sure I believe you anyway."

He affected a hurt look – it looked remarkably sincere though – and said, "Aw, Donna, I was just returning the favor. That's what friends do after all."

She looked at him and sighed at his kicked puppy expression. "I think Mike is rubbing off on you. Do you even know how to cook?"

"It's soup! And grilled cheese," Harvey grumped at her. "Elementary, my dear Watson."

"Yes, I suppose that's true even for you," Donna replied. "All right, you can stay."

Harvey smirked. "As if you'd do anything else."

"Careful. I can always call Jared to bounce your ass out of here," she said, but she was smiling. Trust Harvey – and a glass of scotch – to help diffuse the tension in her shoulders.

"How was the appointment?"

And there was the tension again, but it was not quite as prominent this time around. She sighed and walked over to slump into the space next to him. "Not good, huh?" He wrapped an arm around her and couldn't resist leaning into it.

"No. The man treated me like I was stupid. He assumes I'm pregnant of course, but I bought eight tests of as many brands as I could find and every single one of them read negative. He suggested that I misread the results."

Harvey snorted. "Need a defense attorney? I know the best."

"He's alive. Besides, I think it'd be more satisfying to sue for malpractice. Anyway, I had to gives some blood and urine so they could run some tests and until we know for certain, he doesn't want to treat me for anything," Donna grumbled.

"How long is that going to take?"

"Three to five days."

"So you get to suffer my company for those days."

"What do mean 'those days?" She did not like the direction this conversation was going.

"I said I'd take care of you."

"You're kidding, right? We'll kill each other before we get to the end."

"We've lasted twelve years in the same office building no more than ten feet apart from each other. I think we can manage."

Donna sat up from where she'd been leaning against him and laid her head back on his arm instead. "When you put it like that, I now understand the monumental effort it took to stand the egoism you ooze and in such close proximity!" She feigned a look of shock and wonderment. "That definitely deserves a bonus."

He gave her a wan smile. "I did say you could buy a new outfit the next time you go shopping."

"My one highlight while I languish here," Donna replied in a weepy voice of Shakespearian play quality.

They sat for a moment together in companionable silence and then Donna stood abruptly – swaying slightly at the nausea that hit her – and said, "I am going to take a shower. Feel free to put in a movie."

"I'll make dinner," Harvey said.

"You really don't have to –" He glared at her. "Fine. Go make dinner. But guess who'll be the one to pay for my kitchen when it's destroyed?"

Harvey gave her the finger and she couldn't keep from smiling as she headed to her room. Once under the showerhead, she couldn't keep from closing her eyes in contentment as the warm spray soaked into her skin; she had not realized just quite how clammy it felt. She managed to thoroughly rinse her hair when a crippling wave of vertigo and nausea hit her all at once. The world suddenly turned upside down and she felt her eyes roll in her head, even as she flung an arm out to catch herself. She only successfully managed to bang her arm on the shower door and then landed on the floor with a thud.

Donna lay there for a moment, stunned and still reeling from the vertigo. She couldn't summon the strength to move even as she desperately willed it.

There was a knock on the door. "Donna? Donna, are you all right in there?"

She wanted to scream 'yes,' but she still hadn't found her orientation or her strength.

"You're not answering, so I'm coming in."

"No," she heard herself say in such a weak voice, she wasn't surprised when he didn't hear it. Dear God, her best friend was about to see her naked! Even as she heard the knob turn, she worked to roll over in a pathetic attempt at modesty.

"Oh my God, Donna!" Harvey rushed right over, shut the water off, and turned her face to him. "Are you all right? Do you need me to call an ambulance?"

She managed to barely shake her head. "Just dizzy."

"Fine, but I am going to get you out of here." He noticed her eyes widen in alarm, though they failed to make eye contact with his. "Donna, your safety is a little bit more important than your modesty. Come on, I promise I won't look."

_Don't make promises you can't keep, _she wanted to say to him, but all she could do was groan as the world continued to spin haphazardly. She was a little surprised at how gentle he was as he carefully pulled her from the shower and laid her out on her towel, before wrapping her up in a bundle so that she was in fact completely covered. Then he picked her up bridal style and walked into the next room, laying her down on the bed. He disappeared for a moment and came back with a fleece blanket, which he draped over her.

"Do you need anything else?" He asked with a concerned frown.

"Just for the world to stop spinning. Give me a minute," Donna replied, pinching her eyes shot and opening them again when the feeling only caused the nausea to build. After what felt like an hour but was only a matter of minutes, the feeling finally diminished and she could actually focus on him. "All right, I'm good."

"Here." He put a t-shirt and sweatpants on her bed. When did he find those? "I'm going to finish making dinner. I'll knock before I bring it in."

"I don't need dinner in my bed."

He glared at her.

"All right, but you're blowing this out of proportion."

"You fell in your shower! What if I hadn't been here?"

"I would have lain in my shower until the vertigo stopped and then I would have gotten out. It's not that big of a deal."

"Perhaps not, but I'm still glad I was here anyway. You could have seriously injured yourself."

"Stop being such a negative Nancy and go get dinner."

"And now you're using fifty year old phrases on me," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Get out!"

Thankfully he left after that and she quickly slipped her clothes on. Even as easy as they played the last few minutes, she could not keep her cheeks from burning as she thought, _Harvey saw me naked. Fuck! Harvey saw me naked! What I wouldn't give to turn time back on this so that I could tie Harvey to his office chair, so that he'd never come over!_

He knocked on the door. With a quiet groan of irritation, she managed to walk to her door – quite steadily too! – and allowed him in. How was she going to survive four days of this?

* * *

**Vertigo sucks. That is all.**

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and feedback is very much appreciated! =)**


	5. Down to Business

**Author's Note: **Good evening, everyone! Thanks for all the feedback; I very much appreciated it! =) This chapter actually turned out longer than I expected, so I hope you enjoy.

**I do not own Suits.**

**Chapter 5**

Per her internal alarm, Donna was awake at 6 am. She cracked an eye open and sighed through the dark at the glaring number of her alarm clock. Her stomach felt like it was full of lead, so she was pleased for the first time that Harvey had given her the rest of the week off. Mentally giving her clock the finger she promptly rolled over and returned to sleep.

When next she woke up, daylight was brightening her room. She looked at her clock this time to find two hours had passed. Despite the extra sleep, the lead she had apparently eaten still sloshed around unpleasantly and she groaned. She was grateful for the extra sleep, since she had stayed up ridiculously late with Harvey –

Her eyes suddenly flew up and she sat bolt upright. She groaned at the awful way her stomach lurched and she climbed out of bed, but just as she decided to go to the living room, she stumbled towards the bathroom to lose the contents of her stomach yet again. Would this ever end?

"Wow…you look a fright," Harvey said, as she trudged into the kitchen.

Donna glared at him, but it was half-hearted at best. She hadn't brushed her hair even after her round with the toilet, so she knew she must look like shit. He looked just as he always did, except he was in jeans and a Cobra t-shirt and, for once, his hair was uncombed.

He placed a glass of orange juice in front of her and she made a disgusted noise at the sight of it. "Coffee, please."

"Orange juice is good for you when you're sick. It'll replace some of those nutrients you keep losing. You're already starting to lose weight," he replied, frowning at her currently pale skin and thinner face.

"Not like it's on purpose," she snapped at him.

"Whoa, hey, it's an observation," Harvey said in a surprisingly neutral manner. "Now, what can I feed you?" She eyed his bacon and egg sandwich he'd made for himself and he rolled his eyes. "Grease isn't good for you either."

"Just make me a damn sandwich."

"But if you don't want to upset your stoma – "

I'm starving, Harvey! I can't think of anything more delicious than a bacon and egg sandwich. If my stomach was upset, I wouldn't be able to look at your sandwich without feeling queasy. That's not the case."

"I don't want to make you more miserable!"

"You won't. I can eat anything. My illness is not hinging on what I eat. C'mon, Harvey, you can't get much safer than soup and I still got ill on that."

"All right, you can have that sandwich there. I'll make a new one for myself."

Donna didn't hesitate another second. She took pains to eat in moderation, but she wasn't sure she'd tasted anything more delicious. Food! She prayed that this time her body would keep it down Her stomach seemed to agree with it just fine. Harvey stared.

"Don't eat it all at once, Donna. I mean, you're just going to throw it all up again."

She glared. "I wish I could projectile vomit at you at will."

"That would mean you're demon-possessed. I'll have to get myself a Catholic priest and exorcise you. I should have known all these years."

"You're an atheist; religion wouldn't protect you now."

"I'm not atheist. I'm apatheist; I just don't give a shit."

"You also appear to be an apatheist about the rules of language," she replied, reaching over to flick his arm. He just smirked.

She refused to wait for him to finish eating and instead put her dish away and then curled up on the couch for a marathon of House Hunters International. He came out a few minutes later, stepping around the couch to take a seat. She had purposely stretched to take up the whole couch. The message was clear, but he poked her anyway.

"What?"

"Do you want me to give you a foot massage?"

"No, my feet are just fine."

She heard him sigh in what sounded like exasperation, but then he walked past her to settle into her loveseat.

"Mmm…manufactured TV. Why do you watch this show? The people act like idiots."

"You don't sound any smarter when you're shopping for a condo."

He scoffed. "I beg to differ."

"I watch so that I'll know the prime place to buy a home when I retire."

"Uh huh. Oh, you mean, you'll be able to dictate where you think I should purchase my vacation home when for when we retire."

"Same thing really."

He shook his head, but he grinned. They felt into another bout of silence and after nearly ten minutes of it, Donna glanced over to see Harvey frowning at her.

"What?" She asked.

"Is something wrong?"

"I only have this constant feeling of nausea, but otherwise, just peachy."

"Donna," Harvey started in a tone that immediately asked for no bullshit. "You're stonewalling me. This entire morning, you've been curt and stand-offish with me. You won't let me sit with you on the couch; we always sit together! Why?"

"Harvey, I'm sick. It makes everyone grumpy and unapproachable. You've done nothing wrong," she said, holding eye contact with him. She prayed that would keep him from touching on the real subject of her annoyance. It didn't. She watched his smirk grown and she briefly wished to curse her poor luck that Harvey was as astute as she was.

"No, that's not what's going on. You were always one to seek a little comfort after your bad moods blew out. You're not letting me anywhere close to you, so I can think of one reason," she held her breath in the hopes that he got it wrong, but she was unsurprised when he said, "This is about me seeing you naked, isn't it?"

His smirk had diminished to neutral, but he still raised a mocking eyebrow at her to see if he had it right. She gave him a scathing glare, but said nothing as she turned back to the TV.

"Come on, Donna, is it really that big of a deal?"

"Yes," she replied, clenching her teeth and she curled her legs into a fetal position.

He seemed to be weighing his next words carefully. Even as much as the thought amused him, he seemed to understand that he had to tread carefully if he wanted to fulfill his obligation as a best friend. He hesitated a moment and then said, "I didn't think it was a big deal. Am I making you uncomfortable?"

This seemed to decrease some of the tension and he noticed her shoulders relax, but there was still danger in her eyes. "No. No…Harvey, you're not making me uncomfortable. It's just…awkward. You're my best friend. Not my boyfriend, not friends with benefits. I'm too close to you for that. Our relationship is purely asexual!"

She saw a flicker in his eyes. It was there and gone so fast, she might believe that it had never been there at all. She knew better. For the briefest moment, Harvey had looked stung. There had been a time long ago when they were fresh in their careers that they considered crossing that line. Harvey had been the one to come to her. Even back then, their relationship had been so strong that she knew by the look on his face after work that he was going to kiss her. The one kiss was as far as they got, then Harvey seemed to get cold feet. It was later that she learned about the trust issues there and that he wasn't sure he could make the commitment.

He was afraid of having his heart broken, like how his mother had done to his father.

So they draw the line, made the rules, and made it a rule to never talk about the rules. Well, she was not going to start now.

She said nothing more as she watched the gears in his head clearly turning but, for once, she was not sure what he was thinking about. Finally, he said, "I have a feeling you're going to throw a shoe at me for what I'm about to say, but let me finish and then I'll stand up for target practice if that's what you want."

Donna raised her eyebrows at him, but she replied, "Deal."

"You like that I treat you as an equal, so I'm going to extend that to this: Donna, you're a woman." She snorted, but he ploughed on ahead. "Your body is the same as all the women I've slept with. Boobs, bush, vagina, two legs, two arms, a head, a torso, etcetera etcetera." Screw throwing a shoe. She might just castrate! "You have nothing that I haven't seen before. Not three tits, no horrible deformities, not even a missing finger." She had to giggle at that. Now she could see where he was going with this. "That said, you're still Donna and you were lucky enough to be graced with intelligence and wit, but natural beauty also. I see you, but you're still just a woman." A pause. "Do you really think I'd end that argument differently?"

"I wasn't sure you'd be brave enough to say anything like that, but I must say, kudos. You do know how to make an argument."

"I am the best closer in New York," he replied with his characteristic smirk. He studied her now relaxed body language and finally decided to move from the love seat to the couch, where she willingly moved her feet that time. When he settled down next to her, she stretched them back over his lap, making him roll his eyes.

They were quiet for some time. Donna's early moodiness and especially her unease had vanished and she could feel the gentle and comfortable hum of their bond settle once more.

What would she be without Harvey? He was so integral to her life and his to hers that she knew that both of them would be ravaged, empty husks without the other. They had experience what to most people would be a minor tear in their social life, but to them was a major rift that had been almost beyond repair. He said he needed her. She had not voiced it but he could read it: she needed him too.

Suddenly, she felt his hand ghost along her shin and she shuddered. She glanced over at him, but his eyes were glued to the TV, even as he continued to rub his thumb along her leg. He spoke up a few minutes later, "You believe in equality in this relationship. We share our secrets, my money…" She stayed silent as she waited to hear where he was going with this. He turned to smile at her. "If it makes you feel better, I'll strip down for you."

He nearly choked on her own saliva. "Yes, that will do wonders to make me feel better." Despite her attempt at the laissez-faire response, she could feel the blood rushing to her face at the suggestion. Damnable pale skin! "Of course, the only difference in these two scenarios is that you're not put in an embarrassing situation."

"Oh please, Donna, do you really think I'll enjoy being at your mercy?" He asked, not bothering to smother his smile.

"I'd say you've probably fantasized about it, so let's change the subject. Think the Giants can win the Super Bowl again?"

"Killjoy," he muttered under his breath.

* * *

**Why do USA breaks have to be so long? I miss Harvey and Donna banter.**


	6. Rupture in the Status Quo

**Author's Note: **Good day, folks! Thank you so much for the feedback! I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

**I own nothing.**

**Rupture in the Status Quo**

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching some of their favorite films. In that time, Donna had only to rush to the bathroom once. The day was much improved over the last week or so.

"Yes, Donnie Darko!"

"Can we not watch that? It's not a good movie to watch when you're sick."

"It's a great movie!"

"It is, but I don't want to actually pay attention. A campy film, please."

"Fine. Look. Here's Tremors. Is that better?"

"Mmm…Kevin Bacon."

"I bet you just love the opening sequence that has a nice shot of his ass."

"Sounds like I'm not the only one who watches for Kevin Bacon."

Harvey gave a smirk over his shoulder before popping in the DVD. When he came back to flop on the couch, he asked, "Interested in dinner?"

"Yes!"

"What do you want?"

"What were you thinking?"

"Chinese."

"Sounds good. You know what I like."

He went into the kitchen to order and when he came back, he said, "You couldn't wait thirty seconds to start it when I came back?"

"You've seen this movie how many times?" Donna asked, rolling her eyes.

About half an hour later, they heard a knock at the door. "That was pretty fast," Harvey muttered as he got up from the couch.

"You better tip well!"

"I always tip well!" He opened the door and stared. "…You're not the delivery guy."

Donna sat up to peer over the couch to find none other than Daniel Kleinman having a stare off with Harvey Specter. "Daniel? What the hell are you doing here?" She did not miss the bouquet of flowers in his hands.

The man seemed entranced by Harvey. He was a few inches shorter, so he literally stared up at the lawyer, who met him with a neutral albeit slightly aloof expression. Daniel finally looked over at her and she could see only cold anger on his face. "When you said you were sick, I thought I'd cheer you up with some flowers." He threw them to the floor by Harvey's feet. "Now I can see you've been cheating on me, you whore!"

He was slammed against the wall before he could blink. "What did you call her?" Harvey snarled as he held him up high enough off the ground, so that only the very tips of his shoes touched the floor.

"Harvey, stop!" He let Daniel go, allowing him to fall to the floor, but he continued to look down on him with a sneer on his face. Donna stepped up beside him and glared down at the man with her arms crossed. "We were never a couple; I made that clear on many occasions. Now, get out! I never want to see you again!"

Daniel scrambled away from them and she imagined that he if were a dog, his tail would be between his legs in shame. Well, he deserved it. "Come on, Harvey. Harvey!"

The lawyer was staring after him with vengeance in his eyes and she couldn't help but notice that he was clenching and unclenching his fists. Finally, after hearing his name, he snapped over to glare at her and she gave him a patent 'evil eye.' He finally turned to trudge back into the apartment, but as soon as she shut the door, he whirled on her.

"Has he ever called you that before?"

"Hell no! I would never continue hanging around with a man who would call me that!"

"Has he hurt you? Touched you in any way you didn't like?"

"NO! Harvey, you're blowing this out of proportion. He's done nothing of the sort! Please, Harvey, stop whatever revenge fantasy you've got going on in there, because he's not worth you getting arrested or losing your license over," she said, putting a hand on his arm to finally get him to look at her. When he did, the anger melted away, but he still looked distraught and he finally pulled her close until he could touch his forehead with hers.

"You deserve to be treated better. Are you sure he hasn't hurt you? If you were – " He clenched his jaw, unable to finish his sentence.

Donna shook her head vigorously. "No, Harvey, nothing like that happened," she said, putting her arms on his waist. "Besides…I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. I did take self-defense classes in college."

"Good girl," he said, placing a kiss in her hair.

"Yes, I am, but thanks for…caring," she said, smirking up at him. He winced but still smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, I care. Don't tell anyone. Especially not the puppy."

"I think it's too late for that…"

"Better not be. My reputation is at stake here."

Just then they heard a knock at the door and this time Harvey looked through the peephole first before he opened the door on the delivery guy. She thought about reminding him to tip, but neither one were in much of a joking mood, so she just started watching Tremors again and he came back with the sack of food and some plates. It was easy for her to push the recent encounter to the back of her mind, but she could not help but notice that Harvey only picked at his food compared to his usual indulgence.

She kept glancing at him throughout the movie. He was staring at the screen, but to her, rather vacantly and glumly. She didn't understand what his problem was. He had a tendency to be overprotective, but never to the point where it interfered with her personal life. Although it sort of was his fault that she didn't have much of a personal life to begin with.

"So who was he?"

Donna looked over at him with a questioning look and he was staring back at her. "You said you weren't a couple, but he brought you flowers. Who was he?"

"That's not any of your business, Harvey."

"Clearly not, since you failed to mention he existed."

"Don't look at me like that. You don't need to know the intricacies of my life."

"And yet, you're the one who accused me of keeping secrets."

"This is different!"

"Different how?"

"I don't ask you about your love life."

"Because you know it doesn't exist. But I told you about Zoe. She was one of my very few commitments. I shared my fears with you about her."

"Sort of. You never mentioned any fear or concerns about her."

"But you know what they were because you know me." She was silent. It was true enough and there really was no denying it. "So why won't you tell me about this guy?"

"Because there was nothing to this guy. It was a friends with benefits kind of relationship, not that you had any business knowing."

"I thought we were friends," he replied and she tried to ignore the twinge of guilt she felt at his hurt expression. "Was the last guy you seriously dated, Darius?"

She drew her mouth into a line. "No, he wasn't."

"Are you purposely hiding your personal life from me?"

"No, I thought you wouldn't care."

"Bullshit. When have I been anything but understanding when you were telling me about the guys you dated?"

"You mean minus the snide comments you make about them?"

"How is that any different from the snide comments you make about my dates?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Because those aren't serious attempts at a relationship. You laugh right along with them."

"What about the things you say about Scotty?"

"That's not a serious relationship, Harvey."

"But it's still one of my longest lasting relationships. I never got angry at you for the things you said, despite the fact that she is nothing like my one night stands."

She scowled at him. It had suddenly occurred to her what he might be doing. Really, this was a surprisingly roundabout way of going about it, but he was crafty. He was a lawyer. He was very good at reading people and he knew exactly how to frame the argument he was trying to frame to her. _Not again. Please! _He had been pushing boundaries since he broke into her apartment yesterday and now she was certain that this might have been his goal all along.

"I know what you're doing."

He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. "What am I doing?"

"Harvey, don't. We've discussed this already. We're not meant to be. Just drop it," Donna replied, pointedly turning back to the movie in hopes that it might get him to drop the topic.

"No." She glanced over at him with barely concealed alarm. They loved playing games, particularly in their bickering and bantering as they volleyed back and forth. But Harvey was not playing anymore and he showed this by giving her his full attention and a very serious look on his face.

"Donna…we share our lives, our secrets, our apartments, my finances. Do you really think it would be that Earth-shattering to have sex too? We're practically married in every sense of the word except the physical. Are you honestly going to sit there on the couch and tell me you have no attraction to me?"

She stubbornly shook her head. "I can't believe I have to fight you on this. You were the one who said it could never be and we might ruin something good. You were right, for once."

He smirked at that last bit, but he was still not done. "Of course I was right. Donna, that was over a decade ago. My fears have proved false by the clear fact that you're still sitting in front of me. Not to mention that I have reached the pinnacle of my career. There's nothing left to conquer."

"That may be so, but there's nothing to say that we still couldn't break apart," she replied. Yes, their blossoming careers had been another reason, but they had blossomed and now all their careers could do from here was wilt.

"Could it? Now we know what it's like to be without each other. We were a mess! I'll admit, me moreso than you, but it still rings true for both of us."

Donna closed her eyes at the memory and winced. Being fired that day had been of the worst days of her life. Actually, the worst day. Being jilted at the prom by an asshole didn't even compare to being torn away from her best friend and virtually the only life she had ever known. She was not one to show weakness or dependency, but she had allowed herself to spend a week in mourning for her old life that, at the time, she thought could never be again.

She felt him move and when she opened her eyes, he was leaning over her, his hands on either side of her and he peered into her eyes intently. "I said I needed you. I meant in more ways than one."

"Why now, Harvey? Is anything really so different now than it was then? How are you so sure it can work?" She asked softly, but she was crumbling. He had a point about both of them being so ragged after they had been split apart by extenuating circumstances.

He chuckled. "I'm not. I just know that my life is just not worth a dime without you. You leaving…brought that fact home."

"I will always be here, Harvey, as your executive assistant. We don't need to ruin what we have."

He shook his head. "That's not enough anymore. Before the shit hit the fan, I told Mike one night that he had plenty of time to find the right girl. He said to me that that is probably what I said to myself every year. He doesn't know that I did find the right girl, I was just too afraid about what would happen to our relationship. Then when you left, I realized that it didn't matter that we could lose our friendship. We weren't even dating and we were torn apart. I'd rather take the risk."

Donna sighed. "You really need to get that compulsive gambler side under control."

He couldn't keep from grinning. He was just leaning in for a first kiss when he was stopped by her hand. "I'll have to think about it and if I agree, I want to take it slow." She could easily read his look: _Haven't we been taking long enough?_ "I'm still not sure this is the greatest idea and I think it'll be easier to keep from screwing it up if we don't just dive right in."

Harvey gave her a long-suffering sigh. "Fine. We'll do it your way. As always."

"Already whipped. We're off to a great start."

* * *

**I hope this was not too OOC. I've never been one to make a whole story about romance, so this is new for me. Let me know if it came off okay. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	7. The Caged Bird Flies

**Author's Note: A thousand apologies for the long wait for this chapter! I was busy and this was kind of difficult to write. It even ended up longer than I thought it would.**

**This story has one more chapter to it, then I'm turning my attention to 'All the Cards Fall,' and then I'm going to finish 'New Puppy' (at least that particular part of that fic). I swear, these have not been forgotten!**

**Thank you, everyone, who reviewed! I hope you enjoy this installment!**

**The Caged Bird Flies**

When Donna woke up that morning, she instantly turned over to look at Harvey.

He was not there, as he was not supposed to be. They had shared a bed before, but always in his apartment. She wasn't entirely sure why they weren't sharing now, but she imagined that it was either out of respect to not affect her decision or he was afraid that she might be contagious.

_Considering he's spent the last two days cooped up with me, it's not likely the latter,_ she thought, but then her thoughts halted. She had been waking up every morning for the last week with a bad bout of nausea, but she barely felt it now. She beamed. Maybe she was getting better and this mysterious sickness was not an unintended pregnancy. Good news at last!

Her smiled faded though as she turned to the topic at hand: Harvey. He wanted a new label for their relationship. That is really what it boiled down to, she thought, conceding the points he had made the previous afternoon. They pretty much were a couple in every sense of the word. For a man who was clearly possessive – of his records, basketball and baseball collections – he had never once drawn a line during their relationship. He had looked mildly annoyed when he found out she had listened in on his private conversations. He had rolled his eyes when he first discovered she was swiping his corporate card and money. Not once had he reprimanded her for stepping too far into his private life.

So, truly, what could stand in their way? Ridiculously close proximity 24/7? Maybe, but if they hadn't gotten sick of each other by now then they probably never will be. Neither one of them was especially clingy, but most important, Harvey would likely never assert control over her life, unlike some of her previous boyfriends had attempted. Other women might be concerned about his playboy lifestyle, but she wasn't. His mother's infidelity had shaken him greatly; he would never do anything like that once he was committed.

Fear of the change to their relationship appeared to be the only obstacle that Donna could think of. Harvey hadn't brushed away the risks. They were there, but he couldn't stand waiting anymore. _We aren't getting any younger, _she grimly mused. Maybe it was time to start taking the next step. She enjoyed their relationship, but she was getting tired of the lack of a romantic one.

With that in mind, she finally climbed out of bed and headed to the living room. She wavered at one sweep of nausea, but it passed in the next instant and she was able to focus on Harvey. He was awake, but only so, as he stared numbly at something on the TV. When she stepped into the room, he turned to smile at her.

"Good morning!" His smile turned into a smirk as he looked her up and down in her sweat pants and t-shirt.

She mock glared at him and crossed her arms. "Stop scoping me!"

"How're you feeling? You look better now than you have all week."

"Wow, how can I not just fall into your arms when you say things like that?"

"You keep me around because I won't bullshit you."

She pretended to be shocked as she put her hands to her face. "A lawyer? Honest?"

"As honest as I'm allowed to be."

The conversation tapered into comfortable silence. As she rounded the couch, she had a feeling Harvey had picked up on what she was about to do because there was no possible way HGTV was keeping him _that_ interested. She skated her finger tips along the couch cushions before sitting down. Stared at him for a moment and then said, "Harvey?"

He glanced over at her and she leaned in for a kiss. At first he responded. Then he stopped as though it were an involuntary reaction. After a few seconds, she pulled away to see what he was thinking.

His eyes flicked open and he raised an eyebrow at her. "What was that?"

She was still leaning close to him when she said, "I told Rachel that when you kiss, you can never go back. So I decided to see if the boundaries would irrevocably shift."

He clicked his tongue. "You've obviously picked up my gambling habit."

She gave him a strained smile. "Yep and I cannot believe I'm saying this but…you were right: kissing you was not an Earth-shattering experience."

"I'm not sure whether to be relieved or insulted by that," he replied, but just as he was leaning in for another kiss, she put a finger on his lips.

"Why didn't you kiss me back?"

Harvey leaned back and studied her. "I wasn't sure what your motives were."

"You thought I was playing you?"

"Yes and no."

She raised her eyebrows at him and tried to smother an amused smile at his growing irritation.

"Can I just kiss you already?"

When she finally consented with a nod, she was surprised when he did not immediately dive right in. He continued to study her with an expression she did not see often – something akin to awe – and then he smirked slightly and leaned in where she met him. Much like the first kiss, she was surprised by the softness of his lips, but even more so by the slow pace. For all of his stoicism and disdain for emotion, he could be quite passionate and not once had she ever imagined he'd approached any of his one night stands with this slow seduction.

She stroked his cheeks with her thumb until she reached his ear lobes, making him moan against her mouth and he pulled her closer so that she was sitting in his lap. She pulled away before it could go any further.

"I said slow, Harvey."

"We're not going anywhere. It'd be the perfect day to lounge around and have gratuitous amounts of sex," he replied, grinning cheekily up at her.

"Hmm…sounds tempting, but on the contrary…" He raised an eyebrow at her. "If I don't leave my apartment, I might just murder you."

"I'm not convinced I won't be dead at the end of a relationship with you anyway, but fine. Let's go outside."

"Good choice. I'm going to take a shower."

"Need help?" If the comment was meant to be lecherous, it was not pulled off from the concern on his face.

"I've managed to not throw up in about twelve hours. I think I'll be fine."

"All right, but hurry up. I want a shower too."

An hour later they were both showered and dressed, but Harvey was waiting impatiently for Donna to finish her hair.

"Any day now, Donna!"

"Pot. Kettle. Black," Donna shot back as she flat-ironed her hair. "I know your morning routine you get up for work."

"I don't spend this much time on my hair. Besides, we're not going to work anyway. You don't have to look ready for a formal. I like your natural style."

"Well, thanks, Harvey, but I want to look nice. It'll just be a few minutes."

Harvey started watching ESPN to see all the highlights he missed when a knock sounded at the door. After Donna's boyfriend – _Ex-boyfriend_, he reminded himself – he checked the peephole and frowned. _What was she doing here? _ She was ready to knock on the door again when he pulled it open.

Rachel Zane's hand stopped midair and her jaw dropped for a split second before she caught herself and snapped it shut. "Hi, uh, Mr. Specter. Is Donna here?"

Without answering he turned from the door and walked over to tap on Donna's bedroom door, "Hey, Rochelle is here to see you."

"Rochelle? You mean _Rachel_?!"

"Whatever."

"Have you let her in yet, you charmless ape?"

"No."

Donna set down her flat iron and stormed out of her room, giving Harvey the evil eye as she passed. He merely looked pleased. "Rachel, nice to see you. Come in! Whatcha got there?"

"Herbal tea. Mike mentioned you had nausea, so I thought this might help."

"Thanks! I'm still getting ready, so you can talk to me."

"Are you two going somewhere?" Rachel asked, flickering her eyes over to Harvey, who had settled down on the couch again and ceased paying attention to them.

"Umm…nowhere in particular. I just need to get out of this apartment. So, how're you doing?"

"Good. It's a slow day at the office, so I thought I'd come by and see how you're doing since I couldn't reach you through the phone."

"Sorry, but I turned off my cell. Didn't want to talk to anybody."

"I understand. I'd probably do the same. By the way, how are you doing? You act like you're doing better."

"Yes! I think the worst of it is over, but no word, yet, on what's wrong."

"Still think it's pregnancy?"

"God, I hope not! Oh! I have a story to tell. Why don't we go to lunch?"

"What about Harvey?" Rachel appeared nervous about him sitting there while they gossiped.

"I've spent the last two days with him. He can fend for himself." Donna glanced over at Rachel in the midst of applying make-up to see her trying to contain a smile while simultaneously raising her eyebrows in a presumptive question. "It is definitely a story worth telling."

Finally, she finished up and snatched up her purse. "Harvey, I'm going to lunch with Rachel."

He turned around to her with a pensive frown, only to be met with her starting earnestly at him. He finally nodded, shrugged, and then said, "Sure. I have my own errands to run. Have fun."

She barely managed to say, "See you later" before he'd exited the apartment.

Donna and Rachel found themselves a few blocks from her apartment at a soup and sandwich shop. Then they finally settled for lunch, Rachel went straight to the point, "All right, what's going on between you and Harvey?"

Donna took a bite of her egg salad sandwich and then said, "All right, fine. Harvey let me cut out of work early on Wednesday so that I could go to a doctor."

"Figure out what's wrong?"

"No, he thinks its pregnancy, but I'm not totally convinced. All my tests came back negative, but then…what else could it be?"

"Rachel gave her a puzzled look and shrugged. "What if it is…?"

Donna blanched. "God, please, no. If I have children, Daniel Kleinman will not be the father of them."

"Is he that bad?"

"Yes, I'll get to that."

Rachel's eyes widened. "For not being at work, you sure have a lot of drama."

"Tell me about it, although being with Harvey isn't very exciting. He's pretty mellow, at least when he's not being an ass. He was waiting for me in my apartment when I got back from the doctor's office."

Rachel's eyes widened. "That's…a little creepy."

"That's Harvey being an ass. I almost killed him with my umbrella. I've also tried, unsuccessfully, to revoke his key privileges."

"Well, at least he had a key. But, Donna, knowing you, I bet you've walked into his apartment without foreknowledge."

"That's different because I am Donna," she replied, but she was grinning.

"So why was Harvey waiting for you?"

"He said…that when he is sick, I'm always there to take care of him and since we're supposed to be best friends, he wanted to return the favor."

Rachel stopped chewing and looked up at the sky as she pondered. "Okay, I'm trying to reconcile your account of Harvey with the Harvey at the firm and I can't."

"Well, he doesn't act that way around anybody else. Just me. And for the record, you're not to say any of what I'm telling you to anyone. Not even Mike."

"Right. I can keep a secret," Rachel replied with a nod. "But that's kinda sweet, Donna. I can't think of a single that I dated that would have offered to do that."

"Well…Harvey and I are great friends. After what happened with Hardman, he seemed to think he was failing as a friend –"

"I'll say."

Donna frowned at her. "That was not all Harvey's fault; I was at fault too. I was angry – at myself, at him, the firm, the world – but there was nothing he could have done to save my job. He barely managed to keep his own, but that's in the past. We've reconciled."

"Okay, so go on," Rachel said, looking properly chastised.

"Don't tell him this, but I'm glad he was there. He…really did come in handy."

"I hope he cooked and cleaned for you."

"He did," Donna replied with a nod. She hesitated a moment. "I collapsed in the shower while he was there."

"Oh my God, are you okay?"

"Fine. Just a dizzy spell. I was more humiliated by the fact that Harvey saw me naked. He was a gentleman about it; he covered me up and carried me to my bed, asked if I needed an ambulance, and then made me dinner."

Rachel gave her a flat look. "So, remind me again why you and Harvey can't be together? I don't know Harvey, but there aren't many guys who would go to those lengths for just anyone."

Donna glared back mockingly. "I'm trying to tell the events in chronological order!"

Rachel eyes widened and a slow smile crept onto her face. "I'm listening."

"On Thursday, nothing much happened. Just Daniel Kleinman came to my door with a bouquet of flowers, and then he accused me of cheating on him and called me a whore."

The paralegal gasped. "Why? Oh, Harvey."

"Yes. Of course, this pissed Harvey off and he would have beat the crap out of him if I hadn't stopped him. Afterwards, Harvey gave me the third degree on that. Wanted to know if he'd hurt or demeaned me in any other way. I finally managed to reel him in, but he was still worked up. Then, like the annoying lawyer that he is, he started out-lining the reasons we should finally get together."

Donna continued eating, keeping her eyes focused on her sandwich as she wait for Rachel's response.

After a long silence, Rachel finally said, "Harvey wants to be with you? Why now?"

"It's complicated," Donna replied and Rachel giggled at that. "But, basically, my being fired was a slap in the face. He realized that even then when we _weren't_ a couple, that whole catastrophe damn near tore us apart."

"So what did you say?"

"I told him I'd think about it," she said. She was warming up to the idea, especially after the kiss, but she was not quite ready to share that with Rachel.

"Well, at least one of us is having some luck," the paralegal muttered as she finished eating her salad.

"You have lots of time, Rachel. You don't need to rush."

…

…

Donna shuffled back into her apartment two hours later, feeling remarkably weak and exhausted. Lunch had gone so well that Donna decided to walk around and do some shopping. It eventually became apparent that her illness was not quite done with her because slowly but surely, fatigue and a little nausea set in, so she went home having bought just one new pair of shoes.

She was surprised to find Harvey wasn't back, but she was even more surprised at the disappointment of him not being there. The apartment now seemed empty and dark by comparison. If she had already started getting used to him lounging on her couches, then maybe this could work.

She happily shed her jacket and crawled under the covers, still dressed in her jeans and purple shirt. Oh, what she wouldn't give to make this damn bug go away!

Donna lay in bed for a while, on the verge of sleep but not quite managing to fall into it, when she heard the soft footfalls of someone walking into her apartment. A soft knock sounded at her door and she said, "Come in."

The door creaked loudly as Harvey pushed it open. "Hey, you feeling okay?"

"Tired and sick. Been trying to sleep."

Although she had a memory foam bed, she still felt when he sat down behind her. She wondered briefly what he was doing, but then she heard the thump of his shoes falling to the floor and then he turned over to gather her up in his arms.

"I hope you find out soon about what's bothering you."

"Me too. This is tiresome."

"Have a nice lunch with Rachel?"

"I did. I told her about the last couple of days, but I didn't tell her we were together. I thought maybe we'd like to keep that to ourselves for a while."

"Yes. I'm not sure I could stand the puppy giving me that goofy, sappy grin of his yet."

"I imagine it has more to do with your reputation of not caring about anyone being damaged."

He tightened his grip around her ever so slightly. "I don't want you being used against me."

"I won't be, Harvey. I can handle myself and the odds are if anyone ever tries blackmailing you, I'll have something even more damning against them."

"Good," he replied, placing a kiss on her jawline.

A few minutes later they were both asleep.

* * *

**I have mentioned in other fics that I am not a fan of Rachel, but I hope I did her character justice. Just because I'm not a fan doesn't mean I think writing her character as OOC is the remedy, so please let me know if it's okay.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	8. Go Out With a Whimper

**Author's note: Final chapter! Coming to you with a quick update! Thank you all who read, reviewed, followed, and favored this fiction. It was a pleasure to write, I'm just sorry I left you hanging for several weeks there. That was not intentional! I will now be re-focusing my efforts back on _All the Cards Fall_. For now, enjoy this last installment!**

**Go Out With a Whimper**

When Donna awoke the next morning, she immediately turned over to find Harvey. Unlike the day before, he was there this time, lying on his back with his head turned away, still breathing slowly from deep sleep.

The night before they had napped together for about an hour, and then Harvey had pulled away from her, groggily saying something about making dinner. He had found a package of frozen ravioli and had run to the grocery store down the street for some Italian bread. She was impressed that he was making the extra effort to take care of her, like he said he would. Not that she needed it anymore.

They had stayed up ridiculously late playing Scrabble. Just as she was about to crawl into bed, she'd looked out her door at Harvey to see that he was rubbing his right shoulder and wincing. All throughout their games, she had seen him change position at least half a dozen times. He was clearly uncomfortable and in pain.

"Harvey," she said and he looked over at her. "You can sleep in here tonight." She can see his expression as if he expects a trap, but then she continues, "If you're quick about it, I'll throw in a back massage."

That got him moving. He took off his shirt, crawled onto the bed and sprawled out face down.

"Looks like I know your weakness; Harvey Specter is as obedient as a puppy if massages are in his future."

"Do with me as you will," he replied with a smirk.

Donna raised her eyebrows high. "I never thought you'd entertain the idea of being a sub."

"What can I say? I love a woman who can kick my ass."

Instead of standing, she hops up onto the bed to straddle his waist, flexes her fingers, and then begins digging into his skin. His shoulders are more tightly wound than she's ever felt and the muscles leading to his neck are about a pliable as stone. "When was the last time you had a massage?"

"It's been a few months."

"Well, you're going to have to go more frequently than this," she said as she heard him groan.

"You already control my schedule. Make it so, number one."

When she had finished, he rolled over to one side of the bed and almost immediately fell asleep. He's shirtless, but at least he's wearing flannel pants.

Even as Donna looked at him now, she could spot obvious signs of him waking, from the way he was suddenly shifting, to the obviously changes in his breathing. She reached over to stroke his hair, which made him smile and he cracked his eyes open.

"Morning," he mumbled as he stretched and sat up. "Sleep well?"

"I did. No nausea at all this morning." It felt so damn good to not feel sick that Donna was practically giddy.

"Well, that's good. Not sure how much longer I could have managed without my assistant."

She rolled her eyes. "Never fear. I appear completely and unable to leave you high and dry."

He gave her a strange smile. "I am at your mercy. It's not a mutual arrangement."

"Harvey, I will never leave you voluntarily," she replied, reaching out to place a hand on his cheek. He leaned into it momentarily and then he leaned in to nuzzle her neck.

"I'm surprised. No kiss?"

"I was going to, but morning breath."

"Good point. Go brush your teeth."

"Not mine. Yours!"

Donna shoved him and he fell about of bed, simultaneously sprawled on the floor and tangled in her sheets. He just laughed.

"So charming. I really don't know how my panties haven't fallen off for you yet."

"That would be a kickass super power," he said, finally untangling himself from the sheets so that he could smirk down on her.

She threw his undershirt at him. "Get some clothes on!"

They were just cleaning up breakfast when Donna's cell phone cut through the peaceful morning. She frowned and began rooting around in her purse for it. Honestly, the only one likely to call was Harvey. Louis tried to get ahold of her occasionally but she would only answer him through text messages. The number came up 'unknown' but she answered, "This is Donna."

"Ms. Paulsen?"

"Yes?"

"This is Dr. Carlyle."

"Oh, hi!" But she frowned and wondered, _The doctor's office is open on a Saturday?_

"We have the results from your blood and urine tests. All results for pregnancy were negative, however we discovered some white blood cells in your urine. Normally you would never have any blood there."

"So what does that mean?"

"I think the odds are high that you had a bladder infection."

"A bladder infection?" Harvey shot her an odd look and his eyes demanded an explanation when she finally hung up. "How would that cause this kind of vomiting?"

"Mostly by just irritating your stomach."

"Okay." This didn't make any damn sense to her.

"Would you like me to write you a prescription to treat this?"

"No thank you. It's going away on its own. Goodbye." She hung up before the doctor could say anything else and glared at her kitchen.

"Your doctor determined you had a bladder infection?" Harvey asked and he was smirking in amusement.

"Apparently. The infection was irritating my stomach and that's why I had so much nausea and vomiting." Harvey shook his head and shrugged. "Doesn't make much sense to me either."

"Well…he did go to medical school."

"He's still not as competent as I would like him to be."

"At least you're not pregnant."

"No, thankfully. He did say that those tests came back negative."

"Good," Harvey replied, let his fingers run up her arm, which made her shudder.

"You're still not getting any today."

"A man can always dream," he said with a mock sigh.

"I'm not sure I want to know what's in your dreams."

The End


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